Journal In Search of...

[KjEno186]

With a nod to the classic television series hosted by Leonard Nimoy, I call this thread "In Search of..."

I hope to record some

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I experience in everyday life which defy conventional reason and logic. While this is a forum dedicated to magic, there is undeniable overlap into parapsychology. Indeed, the labels may change depending on the expertise of the practitioners, but the underlying principles are the same. To put it another way, the map is not the territory, but many different kinds of maps tell us more about the landscape than we could ever learn by studying just one.

Let me clearly state right here and now that having an open mind does not leave me subject to believing everything everyone says. My

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is cranked all the way up. I'm going to be perfectly honest. I know how easy it is to lie and how easy it can be to believe one's own lies. Honesty in the little things builds credibility in the long run.

 

[KjEno186]

To start things off, current practices include:

• My daily dream journal, which usually has at least two brief recorded dreams, if that's all I can remember, but often many more.
• Meditations every day, usually 30 minutes from Quareia, but may substitute deep relaxation techniques or alchemical visualizations.
• A simple daily ritual which I will not discuss per the magician's rule of Silence.
• A tarot reading one or more times per week.

I'm currently reading:

• Everybody's Natural Guide to ESP by Ingo Swann (now in the forum library)
• Have an Out of Body Experience in 30 Days by Harary & Weintraub (also in forum library)
• The Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic by Eliphas Lévi (to follow along with the monthly
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  posts by John Michael Greer)
• The Magical Knowledge Trilogy by Josephine McCarthy (on my Kindle to read when away from home)

Guiding principles:

• Magic is important but need not be an obsession.
• Overtraining is counterproductive to progress.
• Try to end a session on a high note if possible.

 

[KjEno186]

OK, one more for today!

As stated above, I'm reading Everybody's Natural Guide to ESP by Ingo Swann. I got to this book because of my interest in Astral Projection. AP led to looking at Remote Viewing. But what really is Remote Viewing? There's so much information available by different authors. I found Swann's book relatable and informative, so it is actually my first "ESP" book ever. In my Christian years, I considered this kind of thing to exist only because the "demons" made it happen. Then in my atheist years, I just knew it was all fraudulent, somehow... Lately, however, I gradually accepted that there's more to the mind than a body with a brain. I didn't consider myself "psychic" though. That was for special people! Not so fast, says Ingo Swann. Every human has an ESP Core. What gets in the way of this innate ability is our untrained Conscious mind. This is not news to magicians. It should be common knowledge that the more consciously one attempts to dictate the means by which a spirit should - in our opinion - carry out our desired intent, the less likely the ritual will be successful.

Swann puts a lot of emphasis on drawing. He discusses some interesting history around it. Then he says, basically, you can do it, too! I have to say, I was not feeling very confident about that. I had been thinking of a way to make a simple test on my own. I have a deck of playing cards on my computer desk. It's just a typical Bicycle Rummy deck, practically new. I sometimes play Rummy with my elderly mother. I thought, what's the top card? The deck had been shuffled before I put it back in the box a few weeks ago. I got a brief mental image of a red diamond. Hmmm, ok let's find out. ... 10 of diamonds! Well, anyone can get a 1 in 4 chance. I thought a bit longer and decided to lay on my futon with my drawing hand and a sketch pad on the floor. I wondered what the next card in the deck might be. I laid down, head facing away from my drawing arm, and relaxed. I could feel what my arm was doing, but I didn't want my conscious mind to try to take over. It still did, just a bit, finding the edges of the pad and making sure it was all comfortably in reach. Nothing says you can't watch yourself draw, of course. I just felt like doing it this way.

Important: Maintain a relaxed body and quiet, receptive state of mind.

What went through my mind? I had the mental image of an ace of spades, however it felt like a conscious mind "decision." Then I had the number seven and seven symbols (3 + 4). The letter 'A' looks a bit like a '7' that has fallen to the left. I didn't see a color, though. It felt like spades, but I let my arm draw the shapes. Beginner's luck? Actually, yes. Even the

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makes this point. The initial success is common and real. The next attempts might be met with failure. However, in time gradual improvement takes place as the conscious mind learns how to work with the ESP Core.

Expand your mind! Try it yourself! Finish on a success or high note, and rest for a few days at the very least. Beware of overtraining though!

 

[KjEno186]

Having finished Everybody's Natural Guide to ESP by Ingo Swann, I moved on to

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by Robert Bruce, which I like. The approach outlined stresses chakras, and I recalled I have a pdf of Yoga for Dummies. A quick perusal of that book brought me to the topic of Yoga Nidra, which is said to make lucid dream states more likely to occur. I've been meditating regularly for months now. I'm gradually noticing a difference in physical health, especially how quickly I heal after a run. I'm still not going to run any races any time soon, though. Adding some Yoga poses and meditation techniques can only help in the long run, no pun intended.

It is mildly frustrating that weird things happen all the time in my dreams, but at no point do I consciously think, "hey it's a dream." Sooner or later, the levee's gonna break.

 

[Ancient]

It is mildly frustrating that weird things happen all the time in my dreams, but at no point do I consciously think, "hey it's a dream." Sooner or later, the levee's gonna break.

If you’re already doing reality checks and setting intentions throughout the day and still not triggering during sleep, I’d suggest trying some extra mindfulness exercises. A couple times throughout the day try to stretch your senses. Pay attention to everything in your field of vision, hear the whole soundscape and build a mental map as far away as you can from your body. You get the idea. The devil is in the details, and those irrationalities can’t evade perception forever. When you do this one, don’t set the intention to do it during a dream. Just immerse yourself in the reality you currently experience. It will help your mind learn to do it now (whether now is dreaming or awake), rather than later (which could become an indeterminate future point).

Good luck!

 

[KjEno186]

I got a hardcover copy of The Miracle of New Avatar Power off Ebay for around US$20 several weeks ago. Yes, the testimonials in the book are a bit cheesy, but I rather like them. I've been mixing things up a bit with the format using tips I got in various places online and other books. For example, I added a call to Archangel Raziel, "Master Magician and Alchemist with power over the Elements," to the New Avatar Power Ritual before the call on "Mighty Arzel." Then I provide a small offering to the spirits. Overall it looks like this:

1. Uncrossing Ritual to Banish Evil (p79) {Qabalistic Cross}​

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2. New Avatar Power Ritual (p42) {or variations}​

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3. * Main Ritual to be Performed for the Day *​

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Start a daily ritual on a Thursday and work once a day for eleven days.​

Though less effective, one may start on Monday and work once a day for eleven days.​

Finally, a fifteen minute meditation may be done on days when no ritual is performed.​

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4. DEE-HAY-THOOTH Evocation (p189-190)​

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5. Central Pillar Ritual​

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a. Bringing in the New Avatar Power (p136-138)​

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b. The NAP Circulation Ritual (p139-140)​

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c. The NAP Fountain Ritual (p141)​

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d. Invocation to Strengthen the Fountain of your NAP (p142) {aka Bornless Ritual, simplified}​

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6. Magic Mentor​

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a. Gesture of Universal Center and AUM​

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b. Invocation of the Holy Daimon​

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c. Meeting your Magic Mentor (p77)​

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7. Uncrossing Ritual to Banish Evil (p79) {Qabalistic Cross}​

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8. "Come Back" from the New Avatar Power Ritual (p67)​

I have added LRP to step one, though I don't think it is absolutely necessary all the time. I set up my crystal ball on a Table of Practice (drawn in ink on art paper) using a design from Frater Rufus Opus' book, A Modern Agnelic Grimoire. It is my hope to begin planetary spheres in the near future.

 

[Silsebyl]

you really like NAP? totally crap in my opinion, but many people seem to love it.

 

[KjEno186]

you really like NAP? totally crap in my opinion, but many people seem to love it.

I consider it a framework to work within and build upon. I take care of elderly parents, so space and privacy are limited.

 

[Silsebyl]

I understand

 

[KjEno186]

Having left this thread resting for a while, I thought I might update things a bit.

Life gets busy at times, but occult study and magical practice should always be there in some form. There have been very few days in the preceding months in which I've done nothing at all related to magic. Almost every day in my journal has at least one vague dream recorded (average is around 3 dream sequences). Almost every day has at least one meditation period, if only for five minutes (average is 15 minutes). Almost every day has a recorded a protection ritual, usually a form of LRP and Middle Pillar. My divinations have been more irregular, but I'm making an effort to do at least a general three card reading every day now. I made some geomancy 'dice' to dabble with an alternative form of divination too, but tarot is starting to 'talk' to me more clearly.

I look back at some of my experiments in ritual over the past several months, and I would say that at the very least it has been educational if not always productive as intended. I'm not a natural at this sort of thing, but I am stubborn and persistent. I'll continue in the four basic practices of dreams, protection, meditation, and divination, until I find myself navigating the currents of synchronicity.